Food and drink companies from Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland travelled to Sweden recently for the Scandinavian launch of the ‘Access 6’ export programme held at the Irish embassy. The six companies from Ireland: Derrycamma Rapeseed Oil, Ferdia Fine Foods, Gallaghers Bakery, Nutri Snax, Rangeland Foods, Shalvey Poultry, are hoping to access Sweden, Norway and Denmark’s retail and foodservice markets which have a combined value of over €102 billion.

Access 6 is an EU INTERREG IVA-funded programme delivered by the Irish Exporters Association (IEA), Northern Ireland Food & Drink (NIFDA) and Scotland Food & Drink (SFD). The initiative aims to provide ninety SMEs across the three border regions with training and mentorship to successfully supply and trade in a number of foreign markets including UK, France, Germany, North America, Benelux and Scandinavia.

While remaining a traditional market with a focus on frozen and convenience foods, the last decade has seen Scandinavia opening up to imported food influences and products. Total Irish food imports to the Nordic region reached €257 million in 2012 – a figure that Access 6 partners hope to build upon.